Card positioning means



Filed May 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .llal ll July 24, 1934. A. E. LONG CARD POSITIONING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17. 1930 Patented July 24, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,967,675 CARD POSITIONING MEANS Albert E. Long, Chicago, assignor to Stromberg Electric Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application May 17, 1930, Serial No. 453,261 9 Claims. (01. 234-43) I My invention relates to card positioning means for time recorders.

In a certain type of time recorder, a card receiver is provided intowhich the workman may insert hisvtime card, time controlled means being provided for variably limiting. the distance to which .the card may beinserted so that at a predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted willbe automatically changed. This 1 automatic changing'of thedistance to which the cardamay be insertedmay'correspond in'some instances .to.a definiteprogram under which the plant operates. For instance, a change might be made immediately after thetime at which the workmen are presumed to leave for the-noon hour and another which might be made immediately after the time at whichthe workmen are presumedto, have returned from the noon intermission. It will occasionally happen, of course, that '20 a .workman may be leaving for the noon intermission aiter the shift has been made fromfnoon out to .noon in in which case'it is desirable that some manual means may .beprovidedwhereby the. distance to'which the workmans card maybeinserted will correspond to.noon ou rather than to noon in. Otheranalogous situations may arise in which it may be desirable to have manual control for the card insertions.

.One of the objects of my. invention is .to .pro-

yide an improved construction whereby the desired results indicated above may be accomplished. 5v Further objects will appear from the description and claims.

2:. In the drawings, in which an embodiment of invention is shown: 4

.Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalview from the front showing my improved card receiver and associated parts; i .-Fig. 2 is a section on the line,22 of Fig- 1 showing the time controlled stepped limiting meansin operative relation to the card; Fig. 3 is a section also on the line 2.2 of Fig. 1 showing the manually controlled stepped member in operativerelation to the lower edge ofthe card; ,Fig. 4,is aperspective view of the two alternatively usable stepped members; L -,F'-ig. 5 is a rear view of the pivoted card rest; and Fig.6 is a plan view of the pivoted card rest. Referringto the-drawings in detail, the 'construction shown comprises avvpairof spaced card guides 1 for receiving the opposite edges of the inserted card 2 respectively andguiding it to pre s; int ng p lt Qn,.-spaoed:time c nt ll d 5 printing wheels 3 against which the card 2 is snapped by the action of the printing-hammer 4, a ribbon 5 traveling between the printing wheels 3 and the card: 2, and time controlled means 7 for limiting the distanceto which the card 2 may be inserted l The time controlled meansforlimitingthe' distance to which the card may be insertedcomprises a pair of stepped members 6 each having' aseries of 1 steps 7 successively brought into card engaging position, a pivoted frame 8 onflwhich the pair of stepped members 6 is-mounted, and a time controlled cam 9 engaging a pin 10 on the pivoted frame 8 for causing a step by step pivotalmovement of the pivotedframe 8 to brin'g the steps -'7 successively into position to-be engaged by the inserted cards. An electric mechanism (not shown) is provided for causinga periodic step bystep movement of the spiral cam 9, a lights'pring (not shown) being provided to insure-thatthe pinlO will remain in-engagement"with the edge of the spiral cam 9. Each step by step movement of the spiral cam 9 isjust sufiicient to permit a onestep movement of the -pivoted frame 8 to bring the next lower steps of the stepped members'fi into position'for' engagement with the lower e'dge of the inserted card 2. In order to enable a manual control-of the distance to which the card 2 may be inserted, which manual control shall be to some extent 55; independent of the time :controlled movement, each of the step members 6 has slidably mounted thereon another stepped'member 11 which may under certain conditions be brought into'opera- 'tive relation'to the inserted card 2 in place of '5 the steps on the time controlled stepped members 6. The slidably mounted step member 11' is guided in its movement by means of a pairof pins 12 secured to the step member 6 extending through a pair of slots '13 and 14, respectively, (.3 in the slidable step member 11 and a pin15 secured to the slidable step member 6 and movable in a slot 16 in the time controlled-stepmember 6. .,The sliding movement is such that :when the slidable member 11 is in'itslowermost. position 3%? the steps on the time controlled step member: 6 will be operative to determine the distance. to which the cardis inserted but such that when the slidable step member 11 is in itsupper'most position the steps 17 on the slidable member 32 will be the ones which determine thedistance to 1 which the card 2 is inserted andwill. support the card2 one step higher than Wouldbe; the case if the slidable step member 11 were in its lowermost P SUJI I '1: I? 11 For operating the slidable step members a rock 2 shaft 18 is provided having secured thereto a rock plate 19 extending between the slidable step members 11 and engaging the lower edges thereof so that when the rock plate 19 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in, Fig. 3 the change of the rock plate will cause the slidable stepped members 11 to be moved from the lowermost position shown in Fig. 2 to the uppermost position shown in Fig. 3.

For operating this rock shaft a manually operable lever 20 is provided pivotally mounted at 21 and having pivotally secured at its rear end a link 22 which extends downwardly and has its lower end secured to a rock arm 23 on the rock shaft. In order to limit the distance to which the manually operable lever may be moved and thus prevent undue strain on the slidable stepped members and associated parts, a link 24 is provided pivotally secured to the lever 20 at 25-and; having a slot 26 therein through which. extends.

a fixed pin 27.

In order that the slidable stepped members may not be operated except when authorized, a lock bolt 28may be provided underneath the outer end of theoperating lever 20 so that the opcrating lever 20 cannot be depressed to raise the stepped members until this look bolt is withdrawn from underneath the operating lever by the proper authority.

Referring further to the details of construction the frame members 8 may be mounted on a rock shaft 9 .andin turn mounted in the side frames 29 of the recorder. The right-hand stepped member 6, as seen in Fig. 5, may be mounted in various positions on the cross, member 29 to accommodate different widths of cards. For this, purpose the cross member 29 is provided with a series of slots 30 into any one of which the web portion of the member 6 may be inserted. The member 6 may be held on the cross Y bar 29 by any suitable means, such as a securing screw 31. Y

In use, if a situation arises in, which it is desired that the card 2 may be inserted only far enough to correspond to the position previous to the last shifting movement of the pivoted frame 8, the workman will arrange with the foreman for the unlocking of the lock bolt 28. The workman can then press the lever 20, which will raise slidable stepped members 11 to bring the steps 17 into effective position and limit the distance to which the card will be inserted by an amount equal to one of the steps.

Thus, if the workman happened to be leaving for the noon intermission after the time controlled shift had been made from noon ou to noon in the workman, by raising the stepped members 11, would so limit the distance to which the card 2 might be inserted that the printing would take place in the proper space for noon on regardless of the fact that the time shift had been made to noon in.

While I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that it may be embodied in other forms, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card'may be inserted for printing thereon, time controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted in said card-receiving means so'that at the predetermined time the distance to "which the card may be inserted'will be changed automatically, and manually controllable means for varying the distance to which the card may be inserted in said same card-receiving means from that determined by the time-controlled means.

2. In a time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, time controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted in said card-receiving means so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will be changed automatically, and manually controllable means for limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted in said same card-receiving means from that determined by the time-controlled means, said time controlled varying means comprising a pivoted member having a series of steps successively brought into card engaging position.

3. Ina time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, time controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which. the card may be inserted so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card maybe inserted will be changed automatically, and 'manually controllable means for limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted,- saidtime controlled limiting means comprising a pivoted member having a series of steps successively 19 brought into card engaging positionand said manually controllablev means comprising a member movably mounted on said pivoted member having'a series of steps which may be brought into operable relation to the card in place of the steps 110 on the pivoted member.

4. In a time recorder, time printing mean card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, time-controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which 5 the card may be inserted in said card-receiving .means so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will'be changed automatically, and manually controllable means for varying the distance to which the card may be inserted in said same card-receiving means from that determined by the time-controlled means.

5. In a time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, time-controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted in said card-receiving means so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will l30 be changed automatically, and manually controllable means for varying the distance to which the card may be inserted in said same cardreceiving means from that determined by the time-controlled means, said time-controlled limiting means comprising a pivoted member having a series of steps successively brought into card-engaging position.

6. In a time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, and time-controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will be changed automatically, com- 4 '7."In a time recorder, time printing means,

card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, and time-controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will be changed automatically, comprising a rock member movable step by step to different positions and a control member mounted on said rock member and engageable by the card in its different positions, said control member having an arcuate cam portion concentric with the rock member and a rock member engageable with said arcuate cam portion in said different positions.

8. In a time recorder, time printing means, card receiving means into which a card may be inserted for printing thereon, time-controlled means for variably limiting the distance to which the card may be inserted in said card-receiving means so that at the predetermined time the distance to which the card may be inserted will be changed automatically, and manually controllable readily returnable means for varying the distance to which the card may be inserted in said same card-receiving means from that determined by the time-controlled means.

9. In a time recorder, time printing means for printing on a card, time-controlled means for variably positioning the card with respect to said time printing means so that at a predetermined time the printing position on the card will be changed automatically, and manually controllable means for variably positioning the card with respect to said same time printing means for changing the printing position on the card from that determined by the time-controlled means.

ALBERT E. LONG.

' CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,967,675.

July 24, 1934.

ALBERT E. LQNGi It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring eorrectien as follows: Page 2, line 88, claim 2, for "limiting" read varying; aed line 91, for "varying" read limiting; and that the said Letters Parent sireuld be read with these corrections therein that the same may cenferm to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of September, A. D. 1934.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,967,675. July 24, 1934.

ALBERT E. LeNG.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as fellows: Page 2, line 88, claim 2, for "limiting" read varying; and line 91,. for "varying" read limiting; and that the said Letters Parent sheuld be read with these corrections therein that the same may cenferm to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of September, A. D. 1934.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

